Non-Profit Finds Career Academies Make a Big Difference

"The evidence keeps growing that career academies work," says Andrew Rothstein, special advisor on educational policy at the National Academy Foundation (NAF), a non-profit that supports a national network of 60,000 students in 469 academies, including some of Florida's IT career academies. NAF works with school districts to develop the career academies in general and often provides technical assistance to support non-NAF academies.

According to the NAF:

• In 2011, 97% of NAF seniors graduated from high school—compared to 50% graduation rate in the cities where most NAF academies are located.
• 4 out of 5 NAF students go on to college or other post-secondary education.
• 52% of NAF graduates earn bachelor's degrees in four years—compared with 32% nationally.
• Of those who go on to post-secondary education, more than 50% are the first in their families to go to college.
• 90% of students report that the academies helped them to develop career plans.
• 85% of 5- and 10-year alumni are working in a professional field.
• Career academy graduates sustained $16,704 more in total earnings over the eight years following high school than non-academy group members who were also studied—11% more per year.

In addition, colleges and universities face increasing pressure to demonstrate that their educational programs address the nation's workforce needs, Rothstein notes. "When you talk to the major employers, they are insistent that this is what they want to education to do."

However, Rothstein is most impressed by career academies' personal impact on students. The testimonials from students and alumni of NAF academies "are very powerful," he says. "When you meet young people, who will likely be the first in their families to go to college or enter a professional field, and they are excited about their lives and their learning—that's as big a motivator for me as a statistic."

When students go into the workplace for internships and perform well for employers, "they become different people," says Rothstein. "It opens their eyes to possibilities and prepares them to be adults in a way that a traditional approach wouldn't do."